Pastoral Care

 
F rom the moment a girl arrives at our Pre-School, she will be embraced by the close and caring community that summarises the Old Vicarage. Her class teacher and teaching assistant will ensure she feels at home and the very high teacher-to-pupil ratio means that no one is overlooked.

Our small class sizes ensure that, as she progresses through the school, each girl can be focused on.  Her teachers will pick up quickly the need to extend, perhaps in very specific areas, the most able and quickly pick up and support any difficulties.  We also ensure that her concerns are addressed quickly, perhaps in Circle Time in a Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) lesson or individually.  The Old Vicarage has a school wide programme of attributes, such as Honesty or Consideration, which form the focus of assemblies and PSHE lessons, providing guidance and timely reminders that underpin life in the school.

The younger girls are assigned buddies – girls who are three years older – who will befriend them in the playground, much as an older sister would, as well as join them at key moments of the year for events and outings. This establishes security and leads to some long lasting and very loyal friendships.

Our School Council, run by the Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, collects suggestions from all the girls in the school, via the class reps, and gives a voice and responsibility to them all. Recent suggestions have led to playground games, a climbing wall, and ideas to include on the lunch menu.

All Year 6 girls are prefects and will help to run the school; from supervising movement around the school, leading playground games, serving lunch, to helping to organise sports fixtures and helping in the library. Some prefects are attached to our younger classes and provide valuable help in the mornings. The girls relish the responsibility and rise to the challenge.

Our houses, Burney, Elizabeth, Houblon and Sheridan; named after notable figures in the history of the building or Richmond – bind the girls together. Numerous social and competitive events on a house basis are organised each year and rewards for good work, behaviour, kindness and courtesy are counted towards the prestigious house cup presented annually at the year end.

Year 5 Spring Concert – Alice in Wonderland

Our Year 5 girls certainly weren’t late…for a very important date this week! ⏰ They delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, Alice in Wonderland. They sang, spoke, and acted with great exuberance and comic timing in a world without reason and full...

World Book Day

Yesterday our corridors were filled with our favourite book characters as we celebrated World Book Day! 📚 We were fortunate enough to have a visit from bestselling author Maz Evans who also kindly held a mini book signing. Well done to our Year 6 girls who held an...

Year 4 Spring Concert – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Our Year 4 girls showcased their incredible talent in Roald Dahl’s adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Monday and Wednesday evening this week. A twist to the classic fairy-tale, Snow-White escapes captivity, aided by seven ex horse-race jockeys and the...

Year 3 Spring Concert – The Bee Musical

There was a buzz in the air this week when our Year 3 girls delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, The Bee Musical.  Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as they sang, danced and acted with such confidence and joy.  Well done girls, you...

Chinese New Year

Our girls celebrated Chinese New Year yesterday. A fun filled day making lanterns & origami rabbits, calligraphy writing & food tasting! They were even treated to a delicious Chinese feast at lunchtime! Gong Hei Fat Choi to our OVS community, wishing...

Christmas Carol Service

Last night our OVS community joined together for our annual Christmas Carol Service at St John the Devine. This really is one of the best evenings of the year, showcasing our talented girls in Years 3 to 6, with every girl in their final year having the opportunity to...

Lower School Nativities

The culmination of the Autumn Term was four great Christmas stories told by our pre-school and Lower School in their own unique ways.  Considering there were a few absences (including Mary!) in the lead up to these performances, the girls really pulled together...

Reindeer Visit

Despite their busy schedule, we were very lucky to have a special visit from Santa’s reindeer today.  All the girls were able to meet them and learn all about life on the North Pole!

Year 2 trip – Science Museum

As part of their topic on Space, our Year 2 girls recently visited the Science Museum! They visited the Space gallery and watched “Our Beautiful Planet 3D” in the IMAX, a fully immersive experience on board the International Space Station. They finished their day with...

Annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre

Today we were blessed to be able host our annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre for the first time in 3 years – a truly wonderful occasion to celebrate our OVS girls’ incredible achievements over the past 12 months and say farewell to our remarkable Year 6 girls. ...